A Russellville woman was issued a $25,000 bond and is facing exploitation and neglect charges after allegedly mistreating and stealing inheritance money from an impaired 74-year-old man she had been taking care of.

Shannon Ortega, 44, faces two abuse of an adult charges — one for exploitation and another for neglect causing serious physical injury or substantial risk of death — after an investigation by Adult Protective Services (APS) found Ortega had spent inheritance money the man received from his deceased brother in 2010.

The investigation began after the victim’s niece reported to APS her father had passed and left an inheritance to his brother, and she was concerned Ortega, his caretaker, was not using proceeds of the inheritance to care for her uncle. The victim’s niece also stated she had not been able to speak with her uncle and was unsure if he was still living, according to the warrant for Ortega’s arrest.

According to the warrant, bank records showed on Feb. 17, 2010, Ortega opened an account on behalf of the victim through her power as his attorney. The account was closed on Feb. 22, 2011, with a negative balance of $58.75. Before being closed, a total of $289,611.58 was deposited and credited into the account, mostly from the victim’s deceased brother’s estate. At the time the account was closed, $289,670.33 was spent through checks and debits, on expenses such as travel expenses, airline tickets, concert tickets, a boat and a Lincoln Navigator purchased in full.

Ortega’s home mortgage was also paid off.

Agents with APS and the Russellville Police Department reported to the Ortega residence, where the victim was living, on March 14 to take emergency custody of him where they found his bedroom floor covered in dog feces. In the room were dirty dishes with rotten food, and his bed sheets were urine-stained. The man appeared malnourished, unkept and appeared too weak to walk.

The warrant stated the man “appeared confused about his brother’s death and stated he did not know anything about his inheritance,” and he was unaware of the checking account.

A doctor at Johnson Regional Medical Center in Clarksville said the man was disheveled, exhibited poor hygiene, smelled of feces, had a urinary tract infection, low blood count and an abnormal EKG, according to the warrant. The warrant indicated the man was 6 feet tall and at the time of his evaluation and weighed 126 pounds.

Ortega was issued a $25,000 bond Wednesday by District Judge Don Bourne. She is scheduled to appear in Pope County Circuit Court on July 2. A spokesperson with the Department of Human Services declined comment, citing an ongoing investigation into the matter.